Thursday Movie Picks: TV Edition- Lukewarm Second Season

 

This week is a tough one for me because it’s about TV shows that had a great first season only to go Meh for their second season. I have no real clue, to be honest, if I picked the right tv shows but I did my best. Wandering through the Shelves chose a doozy, for me anyway. It will be fun to see what other people have chosen.

1.  SPACE 1999- 1975-1977

This was a TV show I watched when Star Trek wasn’t on and nothing else. I always thought Martin Landau hit bottom with this British ( I think it’s British) tv show co-starring with his wife, Barbara Bain and David Morse as scientists on the moon base Alpha. There is an explosion which sends the moon off into the Peter Pan Netherland of outer space. It seems, from what I remember, they meet different aliens plus are always trying to get home, kind of like Gilligan’s Island. The second season came and they brought in Catherine Schell as a beautiful alien who can become any animal to help out these castaways of outer space. This didn’t help and the show was cancelled.

2. LIE TO ME-2009-2011

I really liked this show that stars Tim Roth as a scientist who has a business with people who are experts in reading body language to find out who is lying and who isn’t etc.., I love watching people and have always been told I’m uncanny in figuring out people. I take that as a high compliment as I have made some big mistakes. Anyhoo, I really enjoyed the first season but the second season was moved around, by the network, so I had a hard time to locate it but, when I found it, I felt they changed it up. They would make a field day today with all the crap out there today.

3. DESIGNATED SURVIVOR-2016-2019

Kiefer Sutherland stars as a low level politician held in some bunker never thinking he would be leading the country when…blammo!! The President, Vice- Pres and everyone else is bombed out of existence. He now must lead the country. I thought it was quite interesting and enjoyed how he has to learn the hard way with the love and support of his wife but soon it became a confusing, paranoid intrigue where everyone he loves is killed and he can’t trust anyone …I gave up before the first season ended.

Can you think of any TV shows that fit this theme or are you baffled like me?

Wednesday Music Fest

 

Yes, this is my dear friend, VJ, who travelled around the Himalayas, as you can see and I would love to have been there but not the way he got there. He was on a bus travelling on one of the precarious roads, sandy roads and, at one point, another bus came from the other direction and each tried to pass one another. My friend looked down a 3,000 ft drop and he did not see any edge because they were right on the edge..a few inches from going down…far down. Nope! No way! No how would I be on that bus! I would be walking or just not going which is what I would be doing….or not doing:). I love The Alps and always have, even though I am so scared of heights..go figure, but I just love the mountains. This was my motivation for this weeks’ music choices which I decided to join in the Monday Music Moves Me.

1. CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN SUNG BY MARGERY MACKAY FOR PEGGY WOOD-1965

I always thought Peggy Wood sang this but, once I read about this song I found out that it was too difficult for her, especially at her age, so they brought in Margery MacKay. Dame Peggy had trouble to lip sync at the beginning of the song too so they shot her in reflection not realizing it added to the scene. Pretty cool. Oh and this is from The Sound of Music by Rogers and Hammerstein. 

2. DREI BERGL LANDLER BY MANFRED SCHULER FROM A TRADITIONAL FOLK SONG-1993

I found this CD and fell in love with the whole thing because I love folk music fr9m around the world. This just makes me think of the Alpine mountains and how magical they look and I have been so lucky to be in and travel through by train and car ( with my crazy ass aunt who thinks it’s fine passing people on a small mountain road while pointing to castles, talking about them and not looking at the road). The traditional instruments were used like the zither and it was played in a an old fashioned hall in a small mountain village.

3. MOUNTAIN GREENERY SUNG BY BING CROSBY-1956

I just really like this song…it’s fun, and puts a smile on my face. This was created by the famous team of Rogers and Hart back in 1926 and originally sung by Sterling Halloway. 

Do you love the Mountains? Hills? Oceans? Etc…what music do you think of?

Thursday Film Picks- Friends’ Travels

 

The picture, above, is from my dear friend, VJ, who travelled to Malaysia and the foot of the Himalayas as seen above. I had another friend go on a Cruise and another has just left to the Dominican. Me? I to a cruise in my Honda Civic to the local supermarket to get screwed up the ass by the greedy prices set by our Loblaws A-Hole who just gave himself a raise from $7 million to $11 million. Thankfully, the jerk had to step down but probably kept his raise. Meanwhile, butter is around $7.99 which I refuse to pay so I wait for sales. Oh, getting back to travel, I wish I was, but I’m glad my friends could and can so I can live through them. With that in mind, I chose 3 films inspired  by their travels...

Man, I forgot to include the Oscar songs here, from yesterday's post. The one that won the Oscar wad " You'll Never Know"; " That Old Black Magic" was nominated and " One For My Baby" got nadda!

1. LOST HORIZON-1937

I just love this film and I read the book as well but find this film version better than the book. It stars Ronald Colman as British diplomat trying to get out of China along with his brother and a few other characters who board a plane to take off and out of harm’s way. They realize that the plane has been hijacked and it crashes in the very snowy Himalayas where they are met by a group of men who take them on a perilous journey to Shangri-La. This is a magical place where money doesn’t matter nor does age only beauty, art, education and peace. There Colman meets a young schoolteacher and the man who founded this mythical valley. The others also find a purpose except for the dumb ass brother who believes a girl he meets there and falls for. The girl and the brother want to leave and convince Ronald despite every fiver in his being that he belongs in this valley. It is a stunning film, it really feels magical and looking at Ronald Colman helps. I love this film.

2. OUT TO SEA-1997

This stars Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, a great team on and off film, as a widower and his dead wife’s no good brother who end up on a cruise ship. Matthau plays the dead beat brother in law who swindles Lemmon to take a cruise without telling him that they are to be dancers for the lonely old ladies on the cruise. He only finds out after they set sail but must now be dancers or else the evil cruise director will throw them off the ship after charging them for the cruise. Of course, Lemmon meets the lovely Gloria DeHaven and Matthau meets the vixenish Dyan Cannon and her mother both, who think he is a wealthy millionaire. This is not an earth shattering comedy but a nice one that I can always watch and turn off my brain. You can’t help loving these 2 old codgers.

3. THE OTHER WOMAN-2014

I am not a fan of Cameron doze-off, I mean, Diaz, but I do like this comedy more for the performance of  Leslie Mann as the hapless wife married to a narcissistic jerk of a husband. It starts off that successful lawyer, Dozey, um, Diaz, is in love with handsome guy until his wife shows up all crazy and wanting to get even. It becomes quite funny when the 2 gals decide to gang up and follow the numbnut to the Caribbean only to see him with yet another gal, buxom ta-tas Kate Upton. They bring her into the fold and decide to bring the S.O.B down. I laughed quite a bit and was wondering if they had watched the marriage of my best friend and her narcissistic ex husband. I found this funny although Nicki Minaj needs to stick to whatever she …does. 

Which 3 films would you choose when you think of friends’ who have been travelling to places and you are not?

Oscar Songs 1943

 

I decided to stay in the 1940s because I always loved a song that made me think of black cats, sultry ways and just a sexy feeling. This seems to go with the Monday Music Moves me list which are about songs that make you feel magical. This works well with my, “Who won the Oscar” list. 1943 was quite the year for music because there were 9 nominees. Let’s see if you can guess who won, who was nominated and  which one had 0 Magic.

1. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC SUNG BY SARAH VAUGHAN-1954-1956

I first heard this song sung by Marilyn Monroe in the film “Bus Stop” and thought it was done well as a girl who can kind of hold a note but she created a real girl in a seedy bar trying to make a living. Since then, I have heard several renditions  and decided to choose the great Sarah Vaughan but there are so many one could choose. Oh and this song comes from the film “Star Spangled Rhythm.”

2. ONE FOR MY BABY SUNG BY FRANK SINATRA -1958

I…am not. Big Frank Sinatra fan but, for some reason,  this song  just suits him. It originally was sung by Fred Astaire in the film, “The Sky’s The Limit” but Sinatra made this song his own.

3. YOU’LL NEVER KNOW SUNG BY RENEE FLEMING-2017

This song comes from the film, “Hello, Frisco, Hello and became Alice Faye’s signature tune but I decided to go with the great Renee who just has a magical voice, to me anyways.

So, which one won the Oscar, which was nominated and which came up with nuttin’?

What I Watched on TV..a Little Late:)

 

I’m a week late posting this but…better late than never. So this is what I watched…

1. LIVING-2022

I love Bill Nighy, not the Science Guy, but a great actor who stars as a civil servant who pushes papers around and makes sure things never get done. When he learns he has cancer, he decides to start …living. He was Oscar nominated and justly so for this understated performance. It is quite moving, and an emotional film.

2. WHERE EAGLES DARE-1968

This film stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood as spies who must infiltrate a fortress on top of a mountain that houses top secret information and a top spy. This is no easy feat since Nazis are everywhere and there is a double agent…but who? Beautiful scenery, great action sequences and action galore. Love this movie. There was a delay in the making of this film when Burton went missing for 3 days…he went on a bender with his 2 good friends, Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole.

3. SHENANDOAH-1965

I finally saw this movie! A different western/war film that takes place in this lush valley with the patriarch, James Stewart, presiding over his brood of grown kids-all boys and one girl. We find out that he is a pacifist who does not believe the war to be just ( no kidding! The South are still fighting..um slavery anyone…geez!) and keeps explaining the reason to his sons, one in particular. When his youngest is taken as a prisoner just for wearing a confederate hat, he and his sons, sans one, go on a venture to bring the young one home. It is quite well written, sad, funny and shows the brutality of war without showing many battles. It is worth a look for sure and I believe people who dislike Westerns would still like this film because it is not a real Western.

4. LITTLE LORD FAUNTELOY-1936

This is another that I finally was able to see after decades on my list. It stars the young Freddie Bartholomew, the male Shirley Temple but with a bit less talent, as a young boy who finds out he is an heir to his father’s holdings and goes England, with his mom, to meet his curmudgeonly grandfather. It’s quite a fun film  which makes me wish all kids were a nice as this one.

5. THE OTHER MAN-2008

Liam Neeson plays the husband to Laura Linney, a fashion head who designs shoes. You find out early on that one day, she never returns and her husband is grieving until he finds out she has been having an affair with another man, Antonio Banderas and he decides to find this man. It sounds simple enough but it is anything but and leaves you with more than one surprise. A definite movie to watch.

6. ON WINGS AND EAGLES-2016

I was surprised by how much I loved this film that stars Joseph Fiennes as Eric Liddell, the Scottish Olympic gold medalist from 1924 who moved back to China (he was born there) after the Olympics and worked as a missionary until the Japanese invaded China during WW2. This man was amazing and very courageous since he helped his fellow prisoners in many a dark moment. This man was also written about in an Oscar film, “Chariots of Fire”. 

7. LEATHERHEADS-2009

I enjoyed this fun frolicsome screwball type of comedy starring George Clooney as the head of a pro football team in the late 1920s to early 1930s and how the pro football team was considered a joke unlike college football. Renee Zellweger plays a newspaper journalist sent to cover the team and the college kid playing for a pro team. She is no Jean Arthur or Rosalind Russell, but she gives it her best college try and is a bit annoying in her pinched up face but I enjoyed this movie and it’s a good sports flick.

8. IL POSTINO-1994

A gentle comedy that takes place in a small Italian fishing village where the lead, played so well and so tragically, by Massimo Troisi, who learns about love, life and what he wants from the exiled Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda. It was up for many awards and won best Foreign film but, sadly, Massimo died a day after filming wrapped up. He delayed heart surgery to finish this film which was very close to his heart as he not only starred in the film but wrote it and co-directed it. 

TV

Ya know….I do have a couple of shows but I want to finish it before I talk about them and the others…I already talked about so I have Nadia here.

What did you see…or read in March?

Thursday Movie Picks- Erotic Thriller

 

Erotic Thriller is just a lovely form of movie isn’t it? Ok, maybe not lovely but something one can sink one’s teeth into including a Good book, Wandering Through The Shelves always chooses a good theme. So let’s slide right into my picks for this week…

1. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE-1946

This is just THE postage stamp for an erotic thriller and it stars Ms. Erotica, Lana Turner and Mr. He-Man, John Garfield as a bored housewife married to an older, nice, but boring man who owns a restaurant. He hires John Garfield and soon the two young hot to trots get into some heavy breathing before figuring out a way to get rid of her boring husband. This is quite a great film that makes one want a cold shower due to the 2 leads. It’s well directed and I do like the cinematography as well.

2. DUEL IN THE SUN-1946

Lust in the Dust! Yes this was the nickname for this western, batshit crazy as flick. I would not say it’s a great movie because, well, it stars Jennifer Jones but, for some reason, I like it. It stars Gregory Peck as a bad guy who exudes sex and Jennifer plays a half-caste( let’s just ignore that elephant in the room) who is taken in by the family with Peck as a bad boy and Joseph Cotton as the good boy. The parents are played by Lionel Barrymore who thinks Jones will bring ruin with her, “she can’t help being a Femme Fatale because she is of mixed blood” and wants her gone but Lillian Gish, the saintly mother welcomes her with open arms. Of course, both sons fell for the gal but she ends up falling for..oh well just guess? This is one of the rare times Peck plays a bad guy and he does it well. I did wonder if this was a thriller but, I think it slips through because of the way the 2 leads deal with each other.

3. GUN CRAZY-1950

This was a B movie but has reached cult status as a version of the Bonnie and Clyde storyline with a Twist. The man, played by John Dall, although a quick shot artist, never wants to harm anyone falls for the Gal, played by Peggy Cummings, also a quick shot artist but she revels in wanting to kill. She brings him down the path of no going back as they go on the run after holding up banks and stores. It’s quite erotic as both leads get off each other from shooting guns and can’t help but be together. It’s truly worth a look.

Which films would you choose?

Stripping Pole Anyone?

 

Our Harley loves love especially his daddy. Speaking of who’s your daddy….my mind went straight to strippers..yup called me odd. I was wondering what to showcase this week and it went straight into the gutter with strippers and the music that came right into my head and here they are.. oh, by the way, I am joining Monday Music Moves me even though it’s Wednesday. 

1. PATRICIA, THE STRIPPER SUNG BY CHRIS DE BURGH-1975

I love the old Chris De Burgh before he went all Woman in Red and this comes from his album, “Spanish Train and Other Stories” album which is one of his best. I loved this song so much that I learned the lyrics to this.I find it a very funny song and can just imagine this gal from the 1920s in a courthouse.

2. LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU SUNG BY NATALIE WOOD-1962

Yea, Natalie Wood did sing here and she wasn’t bad at all. This is a good film about Gypsy Rose Lee who was a famous burlesque stripper who had one overbearing mother. This is a fun song with music by Jules Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, that was so well presented by Wood who exuded just the right sex appeal making stripping classy.

3. HEY, BIG SPENDER SUNG BY SOME CLASSY DAMES-1969

This is from the film version of  “Sweet Charity” that stars Shirley MacLaine and this is a great routine that came from the mind of Bob Fosse. It was written in 1966 by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields. This is one of the best renditions.

One more….

THE STRIPPER SONG BY DAVID ROSE-1958

You know this had to make an appearance….

What stripper songs can you think of ?

Thursday Film Picks- Easter

 

Wandering Through The Shelves originated and still does this fun post but only twice per month now instead of every week but I love doing this so I pick my own theme when she is taking a break. Since Easter is almost upon us, I am going with some Easter movies that I watched every year at this time. It became a family tradition and here is the first…

1. EASTER PARADE-1948

I have to choose this musical because , well, duh! This film stars Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Ann Miller about a famous dance and song team, Astaire and Miller who are romantically involved when Miller decides to break up the cat so she can hit the big leagues. Astaire meets Garland and tries to mold her into Miller’s style but it doesn’t work. He realizes, finally, that she is great but in her own way and they become a great team much to Miller’s chagrin. This is a fun, breezy musical with a lot of Irving Berlin tunes including the title song. Fred Astaire was “retired” but when Gene Kelly broke his ankle, he asked Astaire to replace him. Garland was better than average on the set and Cyd Charisse was supposed to be in Miller’s role but she tore up her leg muscles and in came Miller. 

2. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS-1956

Well, duh…lol. Of course this is a must see film for Easter starring God, er,  I mean Charlton Heston, as Moses before he found his God. This virile, sexy, man about pyramid is raised as an Egyptian and even walks like one. He is not like his “bro” virile, baldy, Yul Brynner, who wants to abuse the slaves and make them work for nothing who also lusts after his sister, Nefertiri, played by sexy Anne Baxter. Nefie only has eyes for her cousin, Moses and he lusts after her too. Unfortunately, it all comes out that Moses is Hebrew and therefore, a slave and is driven into the desert to meet up with Lily Munster, I mean, Yvonne De Carlo who is a shepherdess with 6 other sisters who are hard up for a man but Yvonne gets her Moses. Of course then he meets the burning bush( get you minds out of the gutter), his hair turns white and he becomes boring as sand. He and his family head back to the city where he wants his people freed and after many nasty things happen including the freaky green Angels of Death pay a visit and kill the first born sons, Yul lets  his slaves go and the thousands take off happy as a lark. Are they happy? Of course not, they just have to listen to Little Caesar, aka Edward G. Robinson, and despite all the miracles to save them, they decide to betray Moses and have an orgy around a gold statue. No, not the Oscar, but a golden calf, that they lust after while Moses is receiving the 10 Commandments from the finger of God. When he finally reappears with a bigger beard and whiter, he is pissed. I always thought Moses could have done a lot more if he just stayed where he was but nooooo, he went all martyrdom and became very boring. Hahahaaa. This is still a fun frolic that I love watching every year. I love the drama and the way Anne delivers her lines as she lusts after Moses plus the special effects are great.

3. BEN-HUR-1959

Another mega-biblical epic starring Chuck Heston as Ben Hur who is a wealthy Jewish man with a mom and sister and a really good childhood friend who happens to be Roman. Of course accidents happen when a roof tile falls onto a Roman soldier and Ben Hur is arrested by his friend and sent to become a slave on a ship while his mom and sis are thrown into prison and his house left to rot. When Ben Hur is thirsty, a man gives him water saving him so he can be a slave on the ship of a Roman. When the ship is sunk, Ben Hur saves the Roman who decides to make him his adopted, very grown up son. Ben Hur arrives back home but out for blood and to win the great chariot race. There is more to this story with Ben Hur giving a man water, the same man who did the same for him years before, as the man is heading to his crucifiction. This film won 11 Oscars, not sure it deserved ll of them but it’s a biggy without doubt. I love the fact that William Wyler, the director, told Steven Boyd, the actor who played Mesala, Hur’s best friend, to act as if he was in love with Ben Hur because they both knew what a prude Heston was and would never catch on…he never did. Love it!

What Easter movies did you watch?

Oh, I hope you watch the clip below of Ann Miller dancing to “Shaking The Blues Away” from “Easter Parade”. She was married to an abusive, alcoholic who threw her down the stairs while she was pregnant. She lost her baby, could never have children afterwards and she broke her back. She did all the dancing in a back brace!

Fragile…Musical Weep

 

What do experts say? No dogs on the furniture….hahahaaaaa. Our Harley just does not understand or care to:)). I decided to join Monday Music Moves Me which Curious As A Cathy co-hosts and it’s about music that can make you feel fragile. I decided to go with 3 women who were fragile themselves and sang, often with that fragility in their voice. Here they are…

1.  AM I BLUE-SUNG BY LIBBY HOLMAN- EARLY 1930s

This song was written by Harry Akst with lyrics by Grant Clarke back in 1929  and was originally sung by the great Ethel Waters but I went with Libby Holman who always sounded sad to me. This gal led quite the life which involved loss of riches, sex on both sides although she considered herself more of a lesbian, a lengthy affair with Montgomery Clift who was 20 yrs her junior, alcoholism and murder. After losing her son, many of her friends,  Monty etc…she ended her life by carbon dioxide poisoning at the age of 67.

2. STORMY WEATHER SUNG BY BILLIE HOLIDAY- 1952

This is a very famous song by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ted Koehler written back in 1933 and a film was made  with the same name back in 1944. I loved this song when I heard it sung by Lena Horne and I adore the rendition by Judy Garland but Billie just had a style that really brought a sadness to it. This gal also led a very sad life starting in a brothel before making a name for herself as a great singer of blues and jazz. Unfortunately, she was an addict of both alcohol and heroin. She died at the young age of 44 from cirrhosis of the liver.

3. OVER THE RAINBOW SUNG BY JUDY GARLAND-1955

We all know this song from the Wizard of Oz also written by Harold Arlan with lyrics by Yip Harburg. It’s sung by the young Judy, aged 17, with magic and hope in her voice. This tv version is the only one showing how she always ended her many stage performances with this song. She is only 33 but she sings as if she has lived 100 years. You can tell that she no longer believes the magic but rather wishes it was this way and yearns for something she can no longer see. It always makes me cry and I wish I could hug her. She died of an overdose at the age of 47 …such a shame.

Now, am I not full of fun today?! 

Any songs make you feel fragile?

Star of the Month

 

BORN: April 7, 1928

DIED: July 19, 2014

AGED: 86 yrs

DIED FROM: Massive Heart Attack

REAL NAME: James Bumgarner or Baumgarner

MARRIED: once, to Lois Clarke. Married 2 weeks after meeting. Stayed married 58 years

CHILDREN: 2 daughters

OSCAR NOMINATION: once- “Murphy’s Romance” 1985

KNOWN FOR: His straightforward manner. Being a family man and honourable to them and his friends. Private. Doing his own stunts especially on “The Rockford Files”.  Fought for his rights against the studios with “Maverick” and won!  He also fought the execs  when doing The Rockford Files but was not as successful because, when he took time off for his health, the cancelled the show. Known to be a great kisser! Sally Field said he was the best and he knees felt weak whereas Julie Andrews felt her actual knees buckle after a kissing scene.  He revealed he was a lifelong pot smoker and it helped his pain. Oh and he was a staunch Democrat.

TALENTS: A major race car driver who actually competed in the Indianapolis 500 a couple of times. He played golf and loved sports.

What can I say, I love this actor and had a major crush on him when he was in The Rockford Files…I had no care that I was 11 and he was…a bit older. He looked ruggedly handsome and he was so funny on his hit TV show, “The Rockford Files.” I had no idea how much pain he was in while making  the TV show because of the stunts he did which wreaked his knees resulting in 2 knee replacements plus an ulcer and a heart attack. In fact, due to the stresses he was enduring from the show, mainly behind the scenes with the executroids, he separated from his wife and had to get his health, physically and emotionally. They, obviously, reconciled  and were happily married until he passed away. The staff and actors were so loyal to him that they all came back to do some more Rockford Files specials. Julie Andrews loved working with him and…vice versa.

This man was raised by his dad and a few step moms since his real mom died when he was about 5 years old but one step mother was very, very abusive and often beat him and his 2 older brothers. He is also a veteran of the Korean War and was wounded twice, once by enemy fire being injured in the hands and face and the other time, by friendly fire where he got smacked in the butt.  He ended up in movies and credits Charles Laughton as a mentor. He enjoyed working in film but, also, TV and, although he loved working with Julie Andrews, when he worked on TV commercials with Mariette Hartley, many people thought they were married in real life…they had great chemistry. John Wayne thought he was the best actor of his generation and he was one of the best as an actor and a human being who took no guff!

FILMS

1. The Children’s Hour-1961

2. The Great Escape-1963

3. The Thrill of it All-1963

4. Move Over, Darling-1963

5. The Americanization of Emily-1964

6. Support Your Local Sheriff-1969

7. Support Your Local Gunfighter-1971

8. Victor/Victoria-1982

9. Murphy’s Romance- 1985

10. My Fellow Americans- 1996

TV SHOWS

1. Maverick- 1957-1962

2. The Rockford Files -1974-1980

3.  8 Simple Rules -2003-2005